


Cabernet and cat pictures

by SewingCircle



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Found Family, femslash cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SewingCircle/pseuds/SewingCircle
Summary: Taking place after the ending of the show, Jane has moved away to Quantico and Maura misses her, especially since it's her birthday.
Relationships: Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Comments: 3
Kudos: 97





	Cabernet and cat pictures

**Author's Note:**

> Totally forgot I wrote this months ago for a zine thingy and thought, why not upload it as I'm currently still super busy with uni stuff and hadn't had time to continue my other fanfiction. Kinda enjoyed reading it again myself so I hope it makes some of you smile ^^

„So, made any plans for your birthday?“

For a moment, Maura closes her eyes and imagines that Jane is sitting right here, next to her on the sofa, like she used to do for so many years.

“Maur?”

“Uh, sorry. No, well, yes, I…I didn’t make plans exactly, it’s more like a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a variety of French cheese is waiting to be consumed while I watch a documentary or something.”

“Don’t be silly! I will call Ma as soon as we finish, and remember what you promised me!”

Not to isolate herself. Not to shut others out again.

“I know, Jane. It’s just…hard.”

Without you. Not as if she ever really acknowledged her feelings for her best friend, for this bundle of chaos and black hair.

“Maura, come on, it’s not as if you had no other friends in Boston besides me, hm?”

Friends. Sure. Maura sighs but tries to sound a bit more cheerful for the rest of their call. It’s been over two months since Jane moved to Quantico for her new job and since she always speaks so excitedly about her work and her new colleagues, Maura does not want to spoil it. There had been a moment before the move, when Jane was still unsure about which decision to make. When Maura should have told her.

Three more days till Friday, till her 42nd birthday. And so she throws herself head first into work, takes on two extra shifts and is even kind of relieved when there is a gang fight with multiple victims, although she immediately feels bad about her reaction. She consequently ignores all calls and messages from Angela who has been surely instructed by her daughter to throw her a big party. It is sweet, and she knows she has to call her back. Sometime soon. But at the moment, she just doesn’t have the energy.

Two more days.

One.

Friday.

Thank goodness there is not something like a birthday calendar at work. Well, Frankie and Nina drop by the morgue, that had to be expected. They are surprisingly unintrusive, however, and Maura nearly regrets her decision not to have a party when she finds herself hugging the two a bit longer than intended. But then they leave again and she is one bottle of wine and some expensive looking chocolate richer.

Jane had already called, of course, her face popping up in the middle of Maura’s lunch break.

“Hey birthday girl! You’re rocking that lab coat!”

And Maura has to laugh, in spite of her initial urge to cry. That’s Jane.

“Thank you very much! Where are you? Moved offices again?”

“Yeah, sort of…I’ll tell you more once everything’s settled. Now, what’s on the table today? Did you get some of the gang victims?”

It’s so easy to talk to Jane and she seems to have followed the case on the news. So they chat a little until both of their break-times are over and with Jane promising to call again in the evening. At least something to look forward to, a reason not to linger at work till it is dark outside and she is once more the last to leave the building. No, today she even manages to greet Mr. Henry on her way out before he switches places with the night guard. A surprised look changes into a smile as he tips his hat to her.

One look at her phone, yes, there is a new message from Angela: “Please drop by my place, I made some food for you. No surprise party, I swear!”

Oh, this woman! Maura wipes away some tears before she gets into her car. It only takes a detour of ten minutes since Angela did not move far from her former residence, and there is still a light in the kitchen window. Half past 8, alright, that’s not too late in the evening.

A big hug envelops the medical examiner before she can say anything.

“Darling, happy happy birthday! I’m so sorry for bothering you all week, this is both as an apology and a sort of present.”

Angela holds up an enormous basket which emits a delicious scent of freshly made pasta and onion buns.

“Angela, I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you, and it is me who needs to apologize. I shouldn’t have ignored you like that…And then you still give me all this!”

“That’s what family is for, love”, Angela winks and Maura just has to hug her again, against all her normal impulses.

“And you are heartily welcome for family dinner on Sunday, if you like, you know that.”

Yes, she does, although after Jane had left Maura always felt as if she had no right to go anymore.

“I will consider it. Really”, she adds and Angela’s smile is reaction enough. “And now I have to get this basket home, for how many people did you cook?”

“Believe me, I’ve thought about how much you need, don’t you worry.”

Another smile, hands waving, then the car goes around the next corner and on its way home. No lights in the windows there and Maura sometimes wonders if she shouldn’t get a cat after all. Somebody to greet her. The neighbour’s red one sometimes comes by, maybe because he knows that Maura always has some tuna ready in exchange for a few moments of warmth, stroking that striped fur until he has enough and jumps up onto the garden wall. Up and away.

She hoists the basket out of the car and searches for her keys. Didn’t she just put them in her pocket? And there is a shadow near the door, a bit darker than the rest of the night.

“Jim? Is that you waiting for me? Just you wait till I get this inside, then you get your tuna.”

“Can I get some pasta instead?”

The light sensors finally react to the movement and Maura almost throws the heavy basket at the person sitting on her front steps.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack! Not that I am at risk for that since I don’t have any pre-existing cardiovascular diseases but still!

“I thought you would be happy to see me!”, Jane gets up, frowning, “and I didn’t think you already expected company but if you’d rather spent the evening with him that’s fine!”

“With whom?”

Now that Maura has recovered a bit from the surprise, the last thing she wants is to see the other woman leave ever again.

“Jim of course! You could’ve at least chosen someone who doesn’t have a name so similar to mine. Hey, why are you laughing?”

Maura puts down the basket and fishes out her phone, grinning from ear to ear.

“Wait, I just need to, yes, here’s a photo of Jim. You’re gonna love him.”

“Not so sure about that”, grumbles Jane. But then her eyes widen and she also breaks into laughter.

“Such a handsome boy indeed! Gosh, now you scared me there for a second.”

“Why?”

“Oh, well…Is that Ma’s food I smell?”

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t talk to her, you already mentioned the pasta and now I bet she was in on it and made enough for two. Correct?”

“…Maybe?”

And then Jane takes a step forward and finally hugs the other woman, smaller despite her high heels.

“I missed you so much, Maur.”

But Maura is already crying, clutching at Jane’s jacket, pulling her even closer.

“At first I wanted to get Ma’s keys and light some candles and stuff inside, but then I thought, maybe you’d call the cops or something, thinking there were robbers, soo…I just waited out here. A bit cold, though.”

“Oh, yes, come in! Sorry I’m such a mess!”

There are some tears in Jane’s eyes as well but she almost angrily wipes them away with her sleeve before grabbing the basket.

“Milady, you first.”

A swiping movement with her arm towards the door.

“Thank you.”

When they enter, it is as if no time has passed. This is how it’s supposed to be.

“You go up and change into something more comfy, leave the rest to me”, and Jane ushers her up the stairs.

“Ok, boss.”

The smile is audible.

It doesn’t take her long to change into some tights and a comfortable stretchy dress. Throw on a cardigan and down she goes again, suddenly scared that it was all just in her imagination. No, there she is. Jane, in her home, the hair up in a messy ponytail, donning a simple red shirt and…has she put on some sweatpants in the meantime? Of course she has, but when she now turns around and grins at her, Maura is convinced she has never looked more gorgeous.

“Gosh, I’m really turning into a cheesy cliché”, she mutters.

“Hm?”

“I said we probably won’t need my French cheese!”

Saved it.

“Nah, Ma made enough for the whole weekend! Well, except Sunday, there’s family dinner, but still. I’ve taken it all out of the basket so maybe we each fill our plates, wine’s already on the table, and then it’s off to the sofa! Oh, how I missed this sofa!”

Maura only rolls her eyes but complies, suddenly noticing how hungry she is. She takes care of putting coasters under the wine glasses and packs the rest of the food up and into the fridge before she joins her friend on the sofa.

“Wait, a toast first! To you, Maura, to your wit and wisdom and that you may drive me crazy with not guessing and complicated medical terms for many more years to come!”

“Thank you, I guess”, they laugh and even Jane takes a sip of wine.

“Ugh, the things I do for you.”

“You know you love me”, teases Maura and takes a bit of pasta, not noticing how Jane at the same time almost chokes on her food.

“So”, the medical examiner continues, “how come you could just fly home? Didn’t you just move into another section or something?”

“Yes, well, that is why I _could_ come home. I never told you, but I was on trial for my first two months on the job and that time ended last Sunday.”

“Jane, don’t tell me you got yourself fired! What did you do?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything wrong! Don’t make me throw a bun at you!”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

A short staring contest ensues. Like always, Jane gives up and rolls her eyes.

“They loved me there, and offered me a full-time teaching position, interrogation and so on.”

“Oh that’s great! I don’t get why they even put you on trial, they are lucky to get you.”

“Well, the trial wasn’t exactly for them, more, uhm, for me to decide if that is really what I want to do.”

Maura suddenly feels her heartbeat going up. She almost doesn’t dare asking.

“And what…did you decide?”

“What do you think?”

They look at each other, this time not breaking eye contact.

“I’ve come home, Maura. For good.”

Clutching her glass of wine, Maura appears frozen.

“But, but…your job there!”

“I missed playing cops and robbers too much, apparently, rather be out here working on real cases.”

“And your apartment’s gone!”

“Seems like I gotta crash here for a while. Or with Ma, but…”

This finally shakes Maura out of her numbness and there will quite possibly be some wine stains on the carpet, but in this moment, she couldn’t care less about anything besides this woman whose arm she is now grabbing, holding on.

“Of course you’re staying with me, this is your home! I mean, it could be, if you’d like…”

“I thought you’d never ask”, smirks Jane and pulls the blonde woman a bit closer. 

“Now, can I please kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”


End file.
